Showing posts with label IKEA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IKEA. Show all posts
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Sunday, September 14, 2008
IKEA hack all the way
Why I don't write here often:
a) Work
b) Recently, health reasons
c) Other hobbies
d) Life
e) Home improvement
Why I DO write here:
I love making things with my hands, and I love sharing the results with others.
As some of you might know, LK and I live in 360 sq. feet in what amounts to downtown Boston. This is done out of necessity and convenience (to work and civilization), in that order. We also share our home with two bossy felines.
As you might imagine, maintaining this small of an abode requires constant organization, ingenuity, and skill. To that end, last year we got rid of our awful boxy black late 1990s TV and DVD player and replaced both with a ridiculously expensive iMac that serves as a full entertainment center.
I LOVE the fact that I can watch Russian television streaming through the Internet on the 24" inches of silvery goodness:
But after obtaining this sexy gadget, there was no good place to rest it except the old television stand, which (as you might imagine) was not the ideal place for work. After a period of adjustment, and considering the narrow sliver of real estate available for the entertainment center, we wanted a desk that would serve the goal of using the computer without cluttering the space too much.
Ideally, we wanted this Parsons Console from West Elm:
It was *JUST* the right size and finish to fit in the space allotted, and blend with the decor. But, as you might imagine, people who live in 360 sq. feet out of necessity don't really have $329 to spend on a desk, no matter how pretty it is. ESPECIALLY if they just bought a really expensive computer.
So we set out thinking of a good IKEA hack that would serve a similar purpose, since there are many an item at IKEA featuring the same type of white laminate finish and square forms. For a while I was enamored of the concept of this VIKA AMON/VIKA TORE combination:
Sadly, IKEA tabletops don't come in depths less than 24", and the max we could allow for our space was 18". Ripping one down and dealing with the unfinished edge seemed like a waste. Then one day I remembered I had a white shelf left over from a project at work that originally came from this UDDEN set for the kitchen:
Armed with a 15" x 48" table top, it was time to find some legs for it. On a recent trip to IKEA to research some OTHER items we wanted to purchase, there she was. Our white beauty. In the AS-IS section. A LACK shelf for $45.
Quickly dispatched home, she became the base for my "45 minute $45 desk" (that is precisely how long the desk took, from start to finish.) It still needs some refinement, but it's fully functional.
The art behind the computer awaits relocation to another wall. The top of the desk is firmly screwed to the bases.
That little mousepad shelf slides in and out, and is made from the middle shelf of the LACK and some glides left over from our TROFAST recycling center set-up.
A week after the desk was born, we received the 2009 IKEA catalogue. Imagine my surprise when I saw the following in its "Workspaces" section:
Turns out they now sell VIKA ANNEFORS table legs, to make precisely what I just made. However, the depth of the IKEA desk remains a min of 24", so I like my 15" hack better for our space.
Maybe now is a good time to mention that with the exception of two vintage pieces in our apartment, EVERYTHING is from IKEA. And we couldn't be happier.
a) Work
b) Recently, health reasons
c) Other hobbies
d) Life
e) Home improvement
Why I DO write here:
I love making things with my hands, and I love sharing the results with others.
As some of you might know, LK and I live in 360 sq. feet in what amounts to downtown Boston. This is done out of necessity and convenience (to work and civilization), in that order. We also share our home with two bossy felines.
As you might imagine, maintaining this small of an abode requires constant organization, ingenuity, and skill. To that end, last year we got rid of our awful boxy black late 1990s TV and DVD player and replaced both with a ridiculously expensive iMac that serves as a full entertainment center.
I LOVE the fact that I can watch Russian television streaming through the Internet on the 24" inches of silvery goodness:
But after obtaining this sexy gadget, there was no good place to rest it except the old television stand, which (as you might imagine) was not the ideal place for work. After a period of adjustment, and considering the narrow sliver of real estate available for the entertainment center, we wanted a desk that would serve the goal of using the computer without cluttering the space too much.
Ideally, we wanted this Parsons Console from West Elm:
It was *JUST* the right size and finish to fit in the space allotted, and blend with the decor. But, as you might imagine, people who live in 360 sq. feet out of necessity don't really have $329 to spend on a desk, no matter how pretty it is. ESPECIALLY if they just bought a really expensive computer.
So we set out thinking of a good IKEA hack that would serve a similar purpose, since there are many an item at IKEA featuring the same type of white laminate finish and square forms. For a while I was enamored of the concept of this VIKA AMON/VIKA TORE combination:
Sadly, IKEA tabletops don't come in depths less than 24", and the max we could allow for our space was 18". Ripping one down and dealing with the unfinished edge seemed like a waste. Then one day I remembered I had a white shelf left over from a project at work that originally came from this UDDEN set for the kitchen:
Armed with a 15" x 48" table top, it was time to find some legs for it. On a recent trip to IKEA to research some OTHER items we wanted to purchase, there she was. Our white beauty. In the AS-IS section. A LACK shelf for $45.
Quickly dispatched home, she became the base for my "45 minute $45 desk" (that is precisely how long the desk took, from start to finish.) It still needs some refinement, but it's fully functional.
The art behind the computer awaits relocation to another wall. The top of the desk is firmly screwed to the bases.
That little mousepad shelf slides in and out, and is made from the middle shelf of the LACK and some glides left over from our TROFAST recycling center set-up.
A week after the desk was born, we received the 2009 IKEA catalogue. Imagine my surprise when I saw the following in its "Workspaces" section:
Turns out they now sell VIKA ANNEFORS table legs, to make precisely what I just made. However, the depth of the IKEA desk remains a min of 24", so I like my 15" hack better for our space.
Maybe now is a good time to mention that with the exception of two vintage pieces in our apartment, EVERYTHING is from IKEA. And we couldn't be happier.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
summer diversions
I had promised a friend I would show her some of the things I did this summer. They included upholstering multiple pieces of furniture. Here is the latest (and the one I love the best thus far...)
Before: a lovely down-filled Crate and Barrel sofa that was bleached by the sun and worn out. Please excuse the quality of the photos, they were taken with a Polaroid and then scanned in...
After: IKEA fabric that makes the piece look vaguely Marimekko-ish.
*On a side note, I finally organized my iPhoto to my liking (I've only been using a Mac for about a year) and I can't be more excited than I am right now about the ease of posting images. It's as if I've been using a card catalogue for years, and finally upgraded to a computerized library search!!!
Before: a lovely down-filled Crate and Barrel sofa that was bleached by the sun and worn out. Please excuse the quality of the photos, they were taken with a Polaroid and then scanned in...
After: IKEA fabric that makes the piece look vaguely Marimekko-ish.
*On a side note, I finally organized my iPhoto to my liking (I've only been using a Mac for about a year) and I can't be more excited than I am right now about the ease of posting images. It's as if I've been using a card catalogue for years, and finally upgraded to a computerized library search!!!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Hacking IKEA
There is a wonderful blog called IKEA Hacker. It is for/by people who like to customize IKEA furniture. Consider this my entry into this category of (somewhat crazy, always handy and imaginative) people.
This room was an unhappy storeroom for properties, when my theatre was dearly lacking space for dressing rooms. Moreover, we also lacked money. Fortunately, I had about a month of summer to figure out what to do about all this. There was an odd space in the basement that could house the props, if they were condensed and organized.
My assistant and I spent a couple of weeks sorting through the contents of the properties storage, and came up with enough items we could sell/give away. Amazingly enough, through a combination of eBay and Cragislist we made enough money on the unused props to buy shelving for the new storage room in the basement, AND to supplement some of the new furniture for the dressing room.
With budget still a concern, there was only place to to turn - IKEA.
We created space for 12 actors to put on makeup, as well as storage for wigs and shoes.
The counters were hacked from shelving units Udden, combined with Vika Kaj legs. The niche was created from the Udden units as well, but the metal sides left over from the units used for counters were used as spacers, creating the correct height for wig heads.
Other products used in the said hack were:
Mirrors Kolja
Mirror Minde
Mirror Raan
Chairs Herman
Dressing rooms always need lights surrounding the mirrors, and an inexpensive solution was found in undercabinet lights Liesta, plugged into power strips Rabalder
Unfortunately, since the hack was complete, IKEA discontinued these particular undercabinet lights, so when the bulbs burn out, we have dark spots. Other mini halogens are quite pricey, but I am considering replacing the burnouts with their current incarnation, Non lights. I believe they accept the same power connections, so it won't be much of an issue.
This room was an unhappy storeroom for properties, when my theatre was dearly lacking space for dressing rooms. Moreover, we also lacked money. Fortunately, I had about a month of summer to figure out what to do about all this. There was an odd space in the basement that could house the props, if they were condensed and organized.
My assistant and I spent a couple of weeks sorting through the contents of the properties storage, and came up with enough items we could sell/give away. Amazingly enough, through a combination of eBay and Cragislist we made enough money on the unused props to buy shelving for the new storage room in the basement, AND to supplement some of the new furniture for the dressing room.
With budget still a concern, there was only place to to turn - IKEA.
We created space for 12 actors to put on makeup, as well as storage for wigs and shoes.
The counters were hacked from shelving units Udden, combined with Vika Kaj legs. The niche was created from the Udden units as well, but the metal sides left over from the units used for counters were used as spacers, creating the correct height for wig heads.
Other products used in the said hack were:
Mirrors Kolja
Mirror Minde
Mirror Raan
Chairs Herman
Dressing rooms always need lights surrounding the mirrors, and an inexpensive solution was found in undercabinet lights Liesta, plugged into power strips Rabalder
Unfortunately, since the hack was complete, IKEA discontinued these particular undercabinet lights, so when the bulbs burn out, we have dark spots. Other mini halogens are quite pricey, but I am considering replacing the burnouts with their current incarnation, Non lights. I believe they accept the same power connections, so it won't be much of an issue.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)